Maintaining a healthy diet is important for everyone, but it is vital for people with diabetes. Diabetes diet suggestions start with an understanding of carbohydrates, fiber and fats. Tips apply to a gestational diabetes diet. (Diabetic Food List & Diabetic Cooking)

Sugar alcohol is neither a "sugar" nor an "alcohol." Sugar alcohols affect the blood glucose levels less dramatically than regular table sugar which is why some diet plans allow a certain amount of them. In most people, they quickly add up to too many carbs. (Diabetes Diet, Diabetic Nutrition, Low Carbohydrate Diet)

The latest news in diabetes diet planning is that even foods with the same carbohydrate content can trigger a wide difference in blood sugar levels. Diabetes researchers have developed a system for measuring the glycemic index of foods. Healthy carbs are those with a low glycemic index. This information takes the exchange diet to another level to help establish a diabetic food list that helps normalize blood sugar.

An estimated 80 percent of American adults take nutritional supplements, primarily vitamins and minerals, or micronutrients. The main reason? We need to compensate for nutritional inadequacies in the modern American diet, cited as a contributing factor in a variety of diseases from atherosclerosis and diabetes to high blood pressure and stroke. (Diabetes Diet and Diabetes Nutrition)

The more we've learned about diabetes, the more we've come to understand that those who suffer from it don't need to be on a specific diet, but rather they should follow certain guidelines for eating. By doing so, they'll better control their diabetes and general health. (Diabetes Diet and Diabetic Meal Planning)

By carefully selecting what you eat, including a good balance of the right kinds and amounts of fats and carbs, you can help improve your heart health and your diabetes diet. You can enjoy delicious meals such as Baked Chicken Parmesan, Onion-Smothered Pork Chops, Citrus Chicken and Mushroom-Smothered Cube Steak. (Diabetes Recipe)

Sugar has long had a bad reputation, especially among people with diabetes. People used to think that eating sugar would cause blood glucose levels to rise much more rapidly than eating other types of carbohydrates, such as bread or potatoes. It turns out that sugar's bad rap is not entirely deserved. Researchers are now finding that simple carbohydrates, such as sugar, and complex carbohydrates, such as bread and potatoes, are digested at the same rate. (Diabetes Diet and Recipes)

Sugar-free candy as well as as other products using the term "sugar-free" should be evaluated for total carbohydrate content. Sugar alcohols, though listed by their weight content within the food as listed in the Nutrition Facts panel, are not metabolized (broken down and used for energy) the way true sugars are. Because sugar alcohols are incompletely absorbed, the FDA allows the labeling and assignment of less energy per gram to these nutritive sweeteners. (Diabetes Diet and Nutrition)

Eating sugar also reduces the body's ability to fight infections. In 1908, researchers noted that diabetics were more susceptible than non-diabetics to infection. It took researchers until 1942 to discover that the bacteria-engulfing white blood cells of diabetics were essentially sleeping on the job. (Blood Sugar and Glucose and Diabetes Diet)

You can help control your blood sugar (also called blood glucose) and diabetes when you eat healthy, get enough physical activity and stay at a healthy weight. Using the Food Guide Pyramid helps you eat a variety of healthy foods. Variety means eating foods from each of the food groups every day. Read more about the six food groups. (Diabetic Menu, Diabetic Food List, Diabetes Diet)

Traditional slow cooker recipes often call for browning cuts of meat in oil or fat, then transferring the meat into the slow cooker. Even when trimmed of visible fat, these traditional meat cuts may still be relatively high in fat. By using the simple three-step technique found in these delicious recipes, Sweet Potato Stew, Creamy Cauliflower Bisque and Creole Vegetables and Chicken, you'll be able to use leaner cuts of meats but still retain flavor, tenderness, and moistness. (Diabetic Meal Planning and Diabetes Diet)

Constipation is the most common digestive problem. Some estimates say up to 60 percent of people with diabetes may have reported bouts of constipation (constipation is generally considered less than three bowel movements per week). (Diabetes Diet, Irregularity)

When a person is overweight, insulin cannot work as effectively to keep blood glucose levels normal because the body becomes resistant to the action of its own insulin. Lifestyle modification can reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes by 58% in people at high risk for the disease. (Type 2 Diabetes Diet)

the presence of small amounts of albumin, a protein, in the urine. Microalbuminuria is an early sign of kidney damage, or nephropathy, a common and serious complication of diabetes. The ADA recommends that people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes be tested for microalbuminuria at the time they are diagnosed and every year thereafter; people with type 1 diabetes should be tested 5 years after diagnosis and every year thereafter. Microalbuminuria is usally managed by improving blood glucose control, reducing blood pressure, and modifying the diet.

Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP)

a study by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases conducted from 1998 to 2001 in people at high risk for Type 2 diabetes. All study participants had impaired glucose tolerance, also called pre-diabetes, and were overweight. The study showed that people who lost 5 to 7 percent of their body weight through a low-fat, low-calorie diet and moderate exercise (usually walking for 30 minutes 5 days a week) reduced their risk of getting Type 2 diabetes by 58 percent. Participants who received treatment with the oral diabetes drug metformin reduced their risk of getting Type 2 diabetes by 31 percent.

creatinine (kree-AT-ih-nin)

a waste product from protein in the diet and from the muscles of the body. Creatinine is removed from the body by the kidneys; as kidney disease progresses, the level of creatinine in the blood increases.

calorie

a unit representing the energy provided by food. Carbohydrate, protein, fat and alcohol provide calories in the diet. Carbohydrate and protein have 4 calories per gram, fat has 9 calories per gram, and alcohol has 7 calories per gram.

juvenile diabetes

former term for insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), or Type 1 diabetes.

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*Many of the statements on this web site have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration or other government, research or academic body; any that were are so marked. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent diabetes or any disease. Information on this site is provided for informational purposes and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professional. Not intended to diagnose or prescribe for medical or psychological conditions nor to claim to prevent, treat, mitigate or cure such conditions. You should not use the information contained herein for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication. Any products advertised are from third parties. You should read carefully all product packaging. You should consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program. Do not discontinue the use of prescription medication without the approval of your physician.**Results not typical; your results may vary.

***Recipes provided usually include nutritional information and diabetic exchanges. Not all recipes are appropriate for all people. Please make sure a recipe is appropriate for your meal plan and pay careful attention to serving sizes. User is solely responsible for their use of any content provided.